Other than getting a bit of information about A Simple Favor 2’s plot and cast and hearing director Paul Feig’s comments about the audience test scores being “through the roof,” there’s not much we know about this anticipated sequel. So, yes, there are questions about its release date. Now, a wild rumor has been going around that Amazon shelved the film because of the ongoing legal drama between one of the film’s stars, Blake Lively, and her It Ends With Us director/co-star Justin Baldoni. However, the director of A Simple Favor 2 has clapped back at that wild claim and set the record straight about the film’s status.
This all began when @Oflululemon made a bunch of claims about the upcoming A Simple Favor 2 and its future, posting on X:
BREAKING: Amazon shelves A Simple Favor 2 indefinitely. Despite glowing test screenings, Blake Lively’s refusal to promote—amid her messy legal battle with Justin Baldoni—and growing tensions with Anna Kendrick have derailed the sequel.
It went on to claim that the film’s other lead, Anna Kendrick, was allegedly “furious,” and its director, Feig, was “disappointed.” The post then called the film “an implosion.” That was followed by a long thread explaining why they thought this was the case, noting various rumors about the first A Simple Favor as well as the ongoing legal battle between Lively and Baldoni.
Then, Paul Feig responded on X to this thread that claimed his film was no longer going to come out. He quickly clapped back, calling the rumor “total BS,” and he noted that the movie will be released. Here’s the director’s full comment:
This is total BS. Sorry. The movie is finished and coming out soon. Don’t believe anything you read on social media these days.
After the Spy director posted that, @Oflululemon responded by asking “if [their] story is ‘false,’ could you clarify why Amazon hasn’t set a release date for a film that wrapped in April 2024?”
The Bridesmaids director responded to that question, breaking down the post-production process and noting that they do plan to release A Simple Favor 2 on the 2025 movie schedule:
My friend, it’s called post production, which generally takes over half a year at least when you factor in editing, scoring, special effects, sound mixing, close captioning and all the technical quality control that has to be done. Our post schedule always had us finishing everything by mid-January. Movies don’t come out the second they’re finished because the studio spends the previous year deciding the best date to release it. We’ve always planned on something in the spring/summer of this year. That’s how movies work. I hope this helps.
Then, while responding to another post that thanked Feig for “confirming that this thread is bs,” the director explained that he loves A Simple Favor 2. He also wrote that he thinks “Blake and Anna turn in amazing performances,” and he reiterated his excitement for the project. He ended the post by writing that “Simple Favor 2 is coming soon!”
Of course, all of this is happening amid the complex legal battle that surrounds Lively’s last film, It Ends With Us. In December, she filed a complaint (and later a lawsuit) against Justin Bladoni’s production company Wayfarer Studios, accusing him and his colleague of sexual harassment during production and claiming the director and his team conducted a smear campaign against her when the film came out, among other things.
Then, Baldoni filed a lawsuit against The New York Times, who published a story about Lively’s complaint, for libel. He claimed that they “cherry-picked and altered communications stripped of necessary context,” which references the text messages cited in the actress’s initial complaint.
This ongoing and complex legal situation has been the cause of headline after headline, and it’s been a big point of discussion for the last few weeks. As more news comes out about these lawsuits and the legal process continues, odds are, it will remain a hot topic.
Now, amid all of this, according to Paul Feig, who did voice support for Lively when her initial complaint was released, A Simple Favor 2 is still on track to be released.
As all of this develops and we learn more about both the Lively-Baldoni situation as well as the release of A Simple Favor 2, we’ll be sure to update you. If you are looking to see Feig, Lively and Anna Kendrick’s original film, A Simple Favor, you can stream it with a Netflix subscription.